Top Items:


Here's how Republicans are planning to throw millions off Medicaid and lie about it — Trump is teaching his minions to say, “We didn't insure anyone"/"They deserved it." — A lot of the horror in the Donald Trump sequel is new. — Sure, he was terrible the first time James Comey and Vladimir Putin made him president.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Republicans' plans for Medicaid have a political problem — GOP lawmakers expected to vote soon on slashing the insurance program for low-income people represent tens of millions reliant on it. — House Republicans who represent large numbers of Medicaid recipients are pushing …
Discussion:
New York Times


The Trump Administration Keeps Citing an Untrue Stat as It Targets Federal Workers — A “survey of our niche audience for our niche audience” was the source for the claim that only 6% of federal employees are working full time in their offices. The number isn't true.
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Musk Vows to Suspend Federal Workers Who Don't Return to Office
Discussion:
Politico, Fox News, MeidasTouch News, The Guardian, The Hill, CBS News, Associated Press, Daily Mail, Federal News Network, Vanity Fair, Washington Times and Wired

Trump deploys SpongeBob meme to troll DOGE critics
Discussion:
The Hill, MeidasTouch News, Bloomberg, CNN, Talking Points Memo, RedState, The Post Millennial, New York Post, FEDweek and ClearanceJobs

Email starts power clash between Musk and agency leaders — even the Trump loyalists
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Townhall, FOX 26 Houston, Law & Crime, The Hill, New York Times, The Independent, New York Post, WNYW-TV, USA Today, Althouse, Fox News, ABC News, CNN, Breitbart, NPR, Washington Times and Wired


Right-Wing Commentator Named F.B.I. Deputy Director — The choice of Dan Bongino is a radical departure from the bureau's history of having a veteran agent serve in the key role that oversees operations. — Dan Bongino, a former New York City police officer and Secret Service agent turned right-wing pundit …
Discussion:
Doomsday Scenario, Rolling Stone, Axios, Blaze Media, Zeteo, Associated Press, WNYW-TV, Washington Times and Deadline
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Trump names podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, HotAir, Washington Post, Twitchy, Fox News, Waddy Is Right, NBC News, The Hill, Must Read Alaska, Daily Mail, Reuters, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story


UPDATE on town hall chaos: Woman who was dragged out speaks, police chief condemns security, name of security firm confirmed — COEUR d'ALENE — A legislative town hall organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee devolved into chaos Saturday when unidentified …
Discussion:
The Independent


DOGE is the Theranos of Cost-Cutting — And other notes from the Chaos — Today's post will really be two short posts on different but related topics: The failure of DOGE to make any progress on its stated goals, and what's beginning to look like a rapid loss of confidence in Donald Trump's economic policies.
Discussion:
Musk Watch and Newsweek
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Despite the hype, DOGE hasn't found a shred of fraud
Discussion:
Poynter


Trump manufacturing win: Apple to spend $500 billion in U.S., hire 20,000 … - Apple's new investment — much of it in red states — lets Trump say to other companies: Apple can do it. … Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the announcement: “We are bullish on the future of American innovation …
Discussion:
Apple, The Hill, The Verge, TechCrunch, RedState, KHOU-TV, The National Pulse, The Post Millennial, CBS News, Washington Times, Semafor, New York Times, 9to5Mac, Fox Business and Daily Mail
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Apple, Under Threat from Trump Tariffs, Will Add 20,000 US Jobs
Discussion:
Reuters and BGR, more at Techmeme »


Judge blocks DOE, OPM from disclosing troves of sensitive personal data to DOGE — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing troves of sensitive personal data from federal agencies. — U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ruled …
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Judge blocks OPM, Education Department from sharing personal info with DOGE
Discussion:
Reuters, MeidasTouch News and Fox News


Angry Democratic donors turn off the flow of money — Democrats are anxious to rebuild their party on the heels of President Trump's victory in November. But they have a major problem as they try to refashion their brand: The money isn't there. — Democratic donors …
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit


The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People — The highest-earning 10% of Americans have increased their spending far beyond inflation. Everyone else hasn't.


Germany's Merz vows ‘independence’ from Trump's America, warning NATO may soon be dead — BERLIN — Friedrich Merz did not even wait for the final results in Germany's election before delivering what could well be a defining verdict on U.S. President Donald Trump, consigning Europe's 80-year alliance with the United States to the past.
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As Facebook Abandons Fact-Checking, It's Also Offering Bonuses for Viral Content — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as president …


Trumpism Is Not Inevitable — But if Trump and Musk are going to be defeated, it has to start now. — It's a time for taking the tiny wins where you can get them. On Friday, The Bulwark published a piece spotlighting the story of Scott Curtis, a FEMA chief of staff who took Elon Musk's …
Discussion:
The Independent


Just 1 in 3 approve of job Trump doing on inflation: Survey — Just 1 in 3 people approve of the job President Trump is doing to curb inflation, a survey released Sunday found. — Thirty-two percent of respondents in the poll, released Sunday by Reuters and Ipsos, approve of the job Trump …
Discussion:
Reuters


What Felt Impossible Became Possible — I've spent many hours since the election reading about the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It started the day after election day when I had hours to kill in the lobby of a Hampton Inn, waiting for a room to open up. I loaded a library archive page up on my phone …


Supreme Court rejects challenges to abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’ laws that restrict protesters — The two cases questioned a longstanding precedent that upheld such laws, which opponents say violate free speech rights. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider overturning …


Trump Just Fired 6,700 I.R.S. Workers in the Middle of Tax Season. That's a Huge Mistake. — If you were to ask the top chief executives in the world to name the best strategy to attack waste in their organizations and balance the books, there is one answer you would be very …
Discussion:
Syracuse Post-Standard, Marketplace and Raw Story


Congestion Pricing Reduced Traffic. Now It's Hitting Revenue Goals. — Revenue figures from the Manhattan tolling plan showed that the program is on track to raise billions for mass transit repairs. — New York's congestion pricing plan raised $48.6 million in tolls during its first month …
Discussion:
Fortune


Live updates: Federal workers face mass confusion as Musk's deadline to list accomplishments looms — Elon Musk began his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference brandishing a chainsaw that was gifted to him by Argentine President Javier Milei.
Discussion:
Twin Cities and The Hill


The inside story of how President Trump came to name the ‘Gulf of America’ — Weeks before retaking office, Trump decided to add the measure to his Day 1 agenda, elevating a liberal joke that had become a conservative meme into an action that has come to symbolize the tenor of his term.
Discussion:
Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »


How Canada Hopes to Thwart Trump — By wooing governors and cultivating cross-border bonhomie, Canada's premiers aim to quell the calls for tariffs and annexation. — The annual winter meeting of the National Governor's Association in Washington always brings a retinue of staff …


‘People are really bulled up’: Stock surge has some on Wall Street worried — A growing collection of hedge fund managers, financiers and analysts say the markets are now running too hot and are at risk of a sudden downturn. — Donald Trump's election helped turbocharge an already surging bull market …
Discussion:
Raw Story


U.S. Views of Israel, Ukraine, Mexico Most Divided by Party — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans rate Canada, Japan, Great Britain and Denmark the most positively among 22 countries asked about, with each country viewed favorably by over 80% of U.S adults. Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan …
Discussion:
The Hill

'It's Over!' James Carville Tells Dan Abrams the Trump White House Will Suffer a ‘Massive Collapse’ in ‘Less Than 30 Days’ — Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville told Mediaite's Dan Abrams that the Trump administration would “collapse” within 30 days and advised Democrats to sit back and let it happen.
Discussion:
New York Post, New Jersey Online, Townhall, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Kevin Drum and The Post Millennial


To stop corruption and rescue democracy, we must take money out of politics — Last October, two-thirds of Americans said the erosion of democracy over the next decade was the nation's most pressing threat. It took just a few days into his second presidency for Donald Trump to set off a mudslide.